BONEVILLE, Ga. --- A 56-year-old Harlem woman was seriously injured when she lost control of the dump truck she was driving along U.S. 278 near the tiny town of Boneville in McDuffie County on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Trooper First Class Mike Callaway of the Georgia State Patrol post in Grovetown identified the injured woman as Sharon Garnett.

A driver for Bohler Contracting Company in Appling, Ms. Garnett was trapped inside the twisted cab of the International truck for about 40 minutes before rescue personnel with the McDuffie County Fire/Rescue Services were able to extricate her.

Ms. Garnett, who received various injuries, including a serious injury to her right foot, was treated at the scene by personnel with the McDuffie County Emergency Medical Services. She later was taken by helicopter to the Medical College of Georgia Hospital in Augusta.

Her condition was described as serious when she left the scene.

Trooper Callaway said Ms. Garnett was traveling east on U.S. Highway 278 shortly before 2 p.m. and lost control of the truck while rounding a curve between Boneville Grocery and Boneville Road. The truck traveled off the roadway for a distance before slamming into an Oak tree, causing the tree to crash onto the cab, trapping her inside.

The trooper did not know why Ms. Garnett left the roadway.

A portion of the tree also knocked a power line to the ground and across the busy highway. It caused the grocery store and about 15 nearby residences to be without electrical service from Georgia Power Company for about two hours.

At the time of the accident, Ms. Garnett was going to get another load of dirt and return to the Thomson By-Pass, which remains under construction.